National Park Service
Freedom at Antietam
Explore how the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation affected everyday individuals in the Civil War era. Learners are given the opportunity to read and evaluate primary and secondary source material, and then to compose a writing...
Curated OER
Robert E. Lee Quiz
In this online interactive Civil War worksheet, students respond to 10 multiple choice questions about Robert E. Lee. Students may check their answers immediately.
Curated OER
Freedmen's Bureau
Young scholars examine the African American experience after they received their freedom after the Civil War. They complete a Mind Map, read and analyze a poem, and write a paragraph using key vocabulary words. They analyze the impact of...
Curated OER
A Look at Virginians During Reconstruction
Fourth graders examine slavery and Reconstruction in Virginia. In this Virginians during Reconstruction lesson, 4th graders research primary sources for the story of William Jasper and other slaves. Students hypothesize how rights became...
Curated OER
Antietam Quiz
In this online interactive Civil War instructional activity, students respond to 14 multiple choice questions about the Battle of Antietam. Students may check their answers immediately.
Curated OER
John Brown's Raid Student Quiz
In this online interactive Civil War worksheet, students respond to 10 multiple choice questions about John Brown's Raid. Students may check their answers immediately.
University of Virginia
Uncle Tom's Cabin: Finishing the Novel
The reviews for Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin were as divisive as the novel itself. High schoolers finish the novel unit with an evaluation of the book's initial reviews, its characters' dreams and fears of emancipation, and...
Curated OER
Civil War and Reconstruction
Fourth graders investigate the Civil War by researching the state of Virginia. In this US History lesson, 4th graders identify Abraham Lincoln, James Chestnut and Fort Sumter, and discuss their roles in the start of the Civil War. ...
Curated OER
Reporters at Gettysburg A WebQuest
Students create newsletters about the Battle of Gettysburg. In this Civil War instructional activity, students create a webquest based on the battle. Students use the information and sources to create a Gettysburg newsletter.
Curated OER
The Economic Differences Between the North and the South Prior to the Civil War
Seventh graders identify and explain the economic differences between the North and the South incorporating photographs and a Venn Diagram to interpret the two sides. They complete a KWL and T-chart to assist them with their task for the...
Curated OER
History in Literature - The House of Dies Drear
Hook your learners with a great project. They research the underground railroad and civil rights movement through literature, view the video The Underground Railroad: Escape from Slavery, and read the book House of Dies Drear in their...
K12 Reader
Two Viewpoints of the Same Event: Lee Surrenders to Grant, 1865
How did Union General Ulysses S. Grant view the surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in 1865, which effectively ended the United States Civil War? After reading an excerpt from Grant's autobiography, your young historians will...
Curated OER
Slavery In America During the Civil War
Students continue their examination of the Civil War. In groups, they use the internet and print sources to research the life of a slave. For each slave researched, they copy quotes and other information from primary and secondary...
Curated OER
Unionism versus Secessionism in Virginia
Eleventh graders, in groups, analyze newspaper articles and then debate and discuss if Virginia should succeed from the Union or not.
Curated OER
Portrait Analysis of Lincoln in Richmond, VA
Students view and analyze a portrait of Abraham Lincoln made during his visit to Richmond, Va. Students determine the historical significance of his visit and create fictional newspaper accounts from various perspectives.
Center for History and New Media
The Impact of the Jim Crow Era on Education, 1877–1930s
Even though American slaves were officially emancipated in 1865, the effects of slavery perpetuated throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Middle and high schoolers learn about the ways that discrimination and the Jim Crow laws...
Library of Virginia
Antebellum Freedom
From indentured servitude to involuntary race-based servitude, slavery has taken many forms in American history. Class members examine three manumission petitions that reveal how the rights of African Americans and African American...
Curated OER
Concern in East Virginia
Students investigate the statehood of West Virginia. In this lesson on statehood, students use primary sources to examine the separation of Virginia from Wes Virginia. The lesson incorporates a field trip as a means to put knowledge into...
Curated OER
Historical Fiction: A Wealth of Interpretations
How can understanding the genre of historical fiction help your language arts class with literary analysis? Use this lesson to help young readers learn about historical fiction. After reading a selection from the "Dear America" or "My...
Curated OER
What Happened to Slaves When their Owners Died?
High schoolers analyze last and testaments of former slaveowners to identify and explain economic, social and cultural differences between the North and the South leading up to the Civil War.
Curated OER
North and South - Impact of the Abolitionist Movement
Students examine history of slavery in United States, discuss abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass who worked to end slavery, listen to excerpts from Douglass' autobiography, and visit interactive Underground Railroad web site.
Curated OER
Conflict Between the States
Students explore the conflicts which evolved into the Civil War. Students examine the differences between the north and the south. They discuss slavery and the battles during the war. Students create a mural and write battle songs...
Curated OER
The Displacement of the Native Americans
Seventh graders comprehend the interaction and conflict between Native Americans and white settlers in the years following the Civil War. They examine how those conflicts impacted the Native American way of life on the Great Plains.
Curated OER
Emancipation Proclamation
Students analyze key components of a portrait and relate the elements to the historical context. For this lesson students evaluate the "Emancipation Proclamation" and it's significance.